Baby crisis {ems}

[Sleepy Fluttershy]

Florence Karmickelle

This morning was a crazy one. First of all, I slept in and when I woke up, I looked at the clock and realised that I was going to be late if I didn't move fast, like a butterfly. It took me only a couple of minutes to grab my backpack, my sister and a bag with her things and rush towards our neighbour's house.

When I came in, I was met by the woman's daughter and told that the neighbour is sick and can't help me today. It was a rather unpleasant surprise, because she used to babysit Val every day since my mother's death. I couldn't leave my sister at home with my father, who was drunk again. I had to think of something to do really fast. Fortunately, no matter how desperate things may seem sometimes, there is always a solution for any problem. And I found one. I decided that I can take my sister to school. Easy. It is only one day and I have all her stuff with me.

It turned out to be a little more challenging than I expected it to be. Val has recently reached  that charming age when she is not quite a baby anymore and very big and heavy, but not a toddler yet, because she can't walk by herself properly. She can make a few steps on her own, of course, but she definitely can't run all the way to school, so I had to carry her and it made me feel exhausted when I finally got to the school building. Now that I am here, though, I only have to get to class. What on Earth could be simpler than that? I enter the building, rush in the direction where my class is supposed to be and my body collides with someone else's. I get up immediately and grab Val quickly, but it looks like she is absolutely fine and the fall didn't do her any harm. The bag with her things which I was carrying has opened and there are a few diapers and a small bottle with milk on the floor. How could I be so clumsy?

When I take a closer look at the person who bumped into me (Or was it me who bumped into him?), I see that it is a boy from my class. We never talked much, but I know his name. It was really rude of me not to apologize right away. I stretch out my hand to help him up and say in a concerned tone:

"Oh, I am so sorry, Pluto! Are you all right? I didn't see you there! I didn't mean you are so unnoticeable, I just wanted to say I couldn't see anything from behind Val's head!"

I stop speaking for a while to catch my breath and look at the boy again. I really hope I got his name right.

[Knuckles]

Pluto Gravity

Living in a house with a lot of siblings meant waking up early. Pluto hated it, and yet he forced himself out of bed. Tiny feet hitting the ground, hands rubbing against brown eyes trying to wipe the sleep away. Rays of sun glistened through the windows reflecting brightly from the white walls. It was a normal morning, he thought. Grabbing a bite of breakfast from the kitchen, and a glass of water. It wasn't much, and probably wouldn't last throughout the entire day, but it gave him something to hold onto. Yeah, the school cooked food, but it wasn't for picky eaters. Sometimes it was a curse and a blessing, and only when his stomach roared for something other than a piece of bread, did Pluto scarf the nasty garbage down. But today, it didn't matter because he was ready and heading out the door.

His backpack gently patted his back with each step. Brown eyes locked on the ground ignoring the talking people as he walked by. Somewhere along the way, he lost site of his siblings, but it didn't matter because he was living his own life. Nobody controlled him, and yet he was never good enough. Growing up was hard, and being the youngest was even harder. Many didn't understand the walls forming around him holding him in while they slowly morphed into the world around. Invisible to the human eye, however, Pluto saw them. Every second of every single day all he cared for was himself. Making it through another day while the rest of the world rushed on around him. Yeah he knew people, but not once had he developed a friendship that would last a while. Being quiet and shy in nature didn't help out any.

But soon he barged through the doors of the school. The chatter of students filled his ears. Scratching his head, he looked around, and yet all he did was the same thing he did every morning. You got this. Sometimes it felt like enough while other times it felt like the world was falling apart around him. Learning was fun. It gave him something to do, something to engage the growing mind wanting more. Just waking up early in the day never appeased him. Going to work for nothing except gaining an education that probably wouldn't even matter. For a moment he closes his eyes, and that was his first mistake.

Crashing into someone, he was sent flying towards the ground. Books dumped from the backpack. The back of his head slammed against the floor. Stars danced before his eyes flashing around. A single tear slid down the corner of his face. Cheeks turned bright red. What just happened?

Other items belonging to Florence spread around him, and some of them he didn't understand -

Why would a thirteen year old carry bottles and diapers?

It was then he noticed the young girl in her arms.

They were in the same class together, and yet Pluto couldn't make sense of it.

She reached out a hand to help him up apologizing for knocking him down when the young male wasn't sure who was at fault. Taking the hand he stood on his feet, gathered his belongings before trying to help her. A slight chuckle escapes his lips as Florence talks about being blind from the head of the girl she's holding.

"It's fine. I'm fine." He muttered quietly keeping his voice low. "Are you okay though? Do you need any help?" It was rude to leave a girl hanging, and maybe this would be the start of a friendship Pluto yearned for.

[Sleepy Fluttershy]

Florence Karmickelle

"It's fine. I'm fine." 

Florence sighed with relief. She was glad that she didn't do any significant damage to her classmate's health.

 "Are you okay though? Do you need any help?" 

There is always a good side to all the situations and this one was no exception. She got to talk to an amazing person with whom she had never had much of a conversation before. She was offered help. The day was beginning to turn out just wonderful.

Florence smiled happily at Pluto and spoke as she was gathering her own and her sister's belongings from the floor.

"Well, I think I could use a little help, because I am a bit tired of carrying my sister around all the time. Could you please hold her while we get to class?"

The girl hesitated a little, trying to figure out if her request could trouble her new friend.

"If you think I am asking too much of you then nevermind, I will manage it. I mean, if you are not comfortable around babies or something... Val is not really a baby though, she is ten months old already, almost eleven! You know, she already has a few teeth!"

Suddenly it crossed her mind that she might be talking too much and she made a guilty face:

"Some people say I talk too much, by the way, you can just punch me if I do that again. It is just a bad habit, you know? Very hard to get rid of."

She smiled at the boy in front of her one more time, hoping to get a friendly answer. 

[Knuckles]

Pluto Gravity

A small smile spread across his face. From what could've been a horrible situation wasn't nearly bad at all. It was a friend, Florence. A girl he had spoken to before. Someone Pluto felt proud to call a friend, and right now he knew she was in need of help. Standing still, his eyes bounced back and forth watching as the girl gathered her belongings along with the toddler she was carrying.

He wasn't an expert on children being a child himself. Just turning thirteen was a huge milestone in his life, and the last thing he wanted was glaring eyes and gossipers to start rumors. They were terrible, heartbreaking lies, and yet Pluto didn't find the need to listen to them. Who cared if he helped a friend?

And she wanted the help, but what she offered struck him as weird. A ten month old coming to school. Lingering through the halls of broken citizens trying to learn more about the corrupt world only made this a simple mistake. But learning about her past, learning about what all she had gone through - how can I not help her?

But before he could answer, she kept talking.

Chuckling softly, he reached his arms out to take the young girl. Pluto didn't have the experience in handling a ten month old.

"Yeah I'll help." He had offered anyway, so taking back that offer wasn't something Pluto took lightly. His word was all he had despite how uncomfortable this would make him feel. "I'm not experienced, though." With a shrug of his shoulders he threw his backpack across them once more making sure to seal it tightly. "And yeah, habits are hard to break, but sometimes it doesn't matter what other people say. Just have to do what's best for you."

[Sleepy Fluttershy]

Florence Karmickelle

When Pluto said that he would help her with the baby, Florence almost screamed, because of joy that instantly filled her. She could finally let go and get rid of the heaviest baby ever for a couple of minutes. She loved her sister very much, but couldn't hold her anymore. She really needed a break and she didn't care much about the fact that the boy told her he didn't have much experience with babies. When Pluto mentioned that Florence could talk as much as she wanted, it made her even more happy, but, of course, not as happy as the opportunity to rest for a while.

"Here you go!"

And with these words she quickly dumped the whole baby into Pluto's arms.

"I know, it can feel like carrying a sack of potatoes at first, but we only need to get to class and I will take her back then. I promise. Thanks for agreeing to help me."

Florence felt so great that she was talking even more than usually. Excitement always made her more emotional and talkative.

"You are probably also wondering why I am carrying a baby around with me, right? It is just because my neighbour couldn't take care of her today because she is sick and daddy can't look after Val because he drinks too much and if he drinks more than usual, he can drop her or throw something at her accidentally. So I decided to take her here."

Val was getting more and more curious about who was that new strange person holding her in his arms. It was not every day she met new people and this boy looked like he was nice and probably fun to play with. After making an excited sound the baby grabbed Pluto's nose with her tiny hand.

"Oh, she definitely likes you! And do you like babies?"

And with these words Florence stared at Pluto, eagerly expecting an answer.

[Knuckles]

Pluto Gravity

"Here you go!" The excitement in her voice startled him for only a moment. Pluto was young, and he had no clue how to handle a baby. Being the youngest in his family came with many advantages, but at the same time, he wondered what it would feel like to have a younger sibling. Everyone was older than him, and now he was glad to have a friend, but holding a baby was something the thirteen year old had never done before.

But soon Florence placed the baby in his arms, and Pluto's body froze - What am I supposed to do with this thing?

Taking a deep breath, he wrapped his arms around the hefty baby hoping and praying he wouldn't drop her. She was heavier than Pluto had ever imagined, and yet he wasn't struggling to hold her up. For a moment he wondered what his family would think if they saw him holding a toddler in his arms. Helping people was right in his mind, and he wanted to prove it, to show it. His friend needed a break, and the young male was able to offer.

"You're welcome."

A genuine smile twisted across his face, but while looking into the tiny girl's eyes, Pluto wondered why a baby was at school, but before he got the chance to ask, Florence was answering him. And it made perfect sense. Being young, he didn't know the world around him -in his mind every family was perfect, none of them had struggled, but he was blinded by the chains that held him back.

Val's tiny hand wrapped around his nose, and Pluto nearly jumped out of his skin. It was a strange sight, but knowing it was a sign of love and affection calmed him for only a moment, but soon the thirteen year old realized that he never wanted anything to do with a baby. He was young himself, and he had his entire life ahead of him. But right now it wasn't about him - it was about helping a friend.

Pluto sighed softly; "This the first baby I've ever been around, so I honestly don't know the answer to that."

364 words

[Sleepy Fluttershy]

When Pluto mentioned that he had never been around babies before, Florence was more than surprised by the boy's statement. Val had only been born a few months before, but the little girl has become a part of Florence's everyday life and it seemed ridiculous to her that some people didn't have babies in their lives. She smiled at Pluto and replied cheerfully:

“You definitely should communicate with babies more. They are a lot of fun when they don't need a clean diaper and don't start crying. And they are cute. Just like Val. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Val let go of the boy's nose and started investigating his cheeks. She obviously found them puffy and cute, because she made an attempt to grab them too, just like she did with his nose. When it didn't work out, she got hold of one of Pluto's ears and made another excited sound. This meant that she was absolutely satisfied.

Florence was glad that she got some help and a new friend. She was definitely glad that she had bumped into Pluto. And when she was happy about something, she talked a lot.

“You can also feed Val with me today if you want to. She looks funny when she eats. Can I have her back, by the way? I think I can carry her again”.

[Knuckles]

Pluto Gravity

It was strange for him, holding a baby. Being the youngest in his family was interesting. Sometimes Pluto wished he could've remembered what it was like as a baby wondering how many people held him, and how many people dropped him. But there he was at school with everyone looking at him. It was embarrassing. Hard to grasp, and yet he wanted to help his friend. It meant the world knowing he was doing something worthwhile, but it also gave him the idea that he never wanted to have a kid of his own.

Florence suggests he tried communicating with babies more often, and Pluto couldn't help but wonder if there was a secret language babies used. It would make sense, but the idea of cleaning and changing a baby just didn't appease him. It sounded gross, but according to his friend, it was cute. What was cute about it? A crying baby screaming as poop covered the diaper and probably everything around. None of that sounded fun.

"Yeah, I have a bunch of older brothers and sisters. I'm the youngest." He stated as the tiny girl started grabbing at his face. It was quite annoying, but at the same time Pluto wouldn't put her down. He kept a smile twisted across his face trying to keep the conversation going. "It's fun being the youngest, most of the time anyway. I just feel invisible because they're all older and doing their own thing, and I'm just the runt of the family."

He shrugged his shoulders careful not to drop the tiny girl resting uneasily in his arms. She was heavy, and Pluto couldn't hold onto her forever. Getting to class was a pain priority, and keeping himself and everyone else calm and at ease was another. But at the same time, all he could think about was the many eyes glaring at him - he hated being in the center of attention, and holding a toddler was definitely attention grabbing.

Then she brought up feeding her. It wasn't something Pluto looked forward to, and he never imagined trying to give a baby a bottle if that was what she even used? He wasn't sure, but part of him was forever grateful when she asked for him back. A goofy grin twisted across his face as he looked at the tiny girl once more. Every step was heavy, and he was ready to give her back. "Yeah, that sounds fun. Never fed a baby before." He took a deep breath before getting ready to hand Val off; "here you -""

But he didn't spot the wet floor.

His feet slid out from under him, and he landed hard on the ground, and he tried to make sure Val didn't get injured at all. The back of his head slammed against the hard surface. Stars flashed before his eyes, and somehow he managed to catch the baby. All the air inside his body left his lungs, and he couldn't move. He bones popped, his neck ached, and he looked around wondering if anyone could see them. What started as an uneventful day was slowly becoming eventful. He only hoped Florence wouldn't walk way from him like many had done before.

539 words

[Sleepy Fluttershy]

"Yeah, I have a bunch of older brothers and sisters. I'm the youngest. It's fun being the youngest, most of the time anyway. I just feel invisible because they're all older and doing their own thing, and I'm just the runt of the family."

After hearing Pluto's words Florence wondered what it would be like to be the youngest child in the family. She had never tried to imagine living a life of a younger sibling before. A life where there is no responsibility, no food cooking, no looking after the little ones. That should be really a lot of fun. Just living without having to be worried about a thousand adult things.

When Florence almost took her baby sister from Pluto's arms, he sudenly tripped and fell down on the slippery floor. The girl gasped and went into a small shock at first, because everything happened very quickly. However, after that she quickly grabbed her sister from the boy's arms and kneeled next to him. Florence saw that the fall hadn't done any damage to the baby, but Pluto looked like he was injured or hurt very badly. Looking at her new friend with her eyes full of concern, the girl asked:

"Pluto? Are you all right? Are you hurt? Can you talk?"

Finally she realized that he couldn't answer all these questions unless she stopped talking immediately, so the girl closed her mouth. She was sorried about her new friend and Val made things even more terrible than they were by opening her mouth and beginning to cry very loudly. A baby crying in the middle of a school building wasn't exactly Florence's dream. She wondered what could happen if any of the teachers heard the yell that was coming from Val's mouth.

[Knuckles]

Pluto Gravity

For a moment, the world spun around him as stars flashed before his eyes, the floor teetered beneath his body. Pluto hoped and prayed that the girl was okay, that the toddler hadn't been injured - he wouldn't forgive himself if he hurt her even accidentally. Living the life he did, Pluto felt worthless in every single way. Not good enough for his family, friends, but the only friend he had right now was Florence, and he was terrified of losing her.

"Pluto? Are you all right? Are you hurt? Can you talk?"

Her words echoed through his mind as a jumbled mess. Flashes of light flickered through the air as he tried rolling over on his side, but all he could do was groan in protest.

This was by far one of the most embarrassing moments of his entire life.

The sound of Val crying roared through his ears, and finally the world started coming back together. Rubbing a hand across the back of his head, he turned, eyes darting back and forth - it was a sight for any bystander to see, to gawk upon like birds flying through the sky.

He took a deep breath before forcing himself into a seated position. His pulse matched the drum pounding inside his skull.

But the floor froze, and everything stopped moving.

Blinking a couple times, he tried to make sure that he was still okay.

"Yeah..." He mumbled through gritted teeth as he continued rubbing the back of his head. "I'm okay."

He paused, eyes locking onto the tiny child she held in her arms -

"Is she okay?" His gaze dropped, and his voice became quiet; "I hope I didn't hurt her."